Knowledge In Action
Swallowing Disorders in Long-Term Care: A Hidden Crisis?
Welcome to the latest installment of our monthly series — Knowledge in Action: Evidence-Based Insights for B.C. Dental Hygienists. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between research and practice by providing accessible summaries of relevant and timely research findings.
Key Findings
New study exposes knowledge gaps and opportunities for dental hygienists in LTC
This month, we focus on the issue of swallowing disorders and oral health in long-term care (LTC) facilities. A recent study highlights several important findings:
Limited Knowledge: Frontline LTC staff have limited knowledge of swallowing disorders, with many unaware of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI).
Prevalence of Dysphagia and Oral Health Concerns in LTC: Up to half of residents in LTC facilities are affected by dysphagia which is frequently accompanied by oral health concerns that can worsen swallowing difficulties and contribute to poor systemic outcomes.
Link Between Oral Health and Dysphagia-Related Risks: Poor oral health is a significant risk factor for aspiration pneumonia, a common and potentially fatal condition in residents with dysphagia. Optimal oral hygiene must be maintained to mitigate this risk and improve overall health outcomes for LTC residents.
Confidence vs. Practice Gap: Despite high self-reported confidence in providing mouth care, the majority of LTC staff do not actually provide such care to residents.
Overreliance on TMDs: There is frequent use of texture-modified diets to reduce the risk of dysphagia, which can increase the risk of malnutrition, dehydration, frailty, decreased functional status and poor quality of life.
Need for instrumental swallowing assessments and oral health evaluations: Improved access to instrumental swallowing assessments and professional oral health evaluations would contribute to reducing the overuse of texture-modified diets in LTC. facilities.
Need for speech language pathologists: Including on-site S-LPs on LTC teams could enhance education, assessment, and management of swallowing impairments.
Need for oral health professionals: Including on-site oral health professionals (such as dental hygienists) on LTC teams would have a positive impact on eating, oral care education, referral and access to oral health services when needed.
Question: How can dental hygienists support better education and resources to support LTC staff in managing swallowing disorders and oral health?
